3 Misconceptions About Local Marketing

Misconception #1

All You Need is a Website to Get Traffic and Leads 

If simply having a website automatically meant you’d have loads of traffic and tons of qualified leads, the business world would be a much different place. But as we all know, this isn’t true.   

When you publish your website, you automatically have... a website. That’s about it. Sure, you could get lucky and rank on some search engines, but there will be no guarantee your site will ever see the light of day. In fact, without some intervention, there's a good chance it won't.   

It’s called driving traffic to your site for a reason. Your website will attract visitors and start generating leads when you put in the work on the front end. Get your SEO in order to ensure your site is poised to rank high in searches relevant to your local business. And get your brand out there in front of the right audience. You can do this by building a social media presence, getting your name and website listed in local business directories, and taking part in online discussions related to your field. 

Misconception #2

Posting on Social Media is All the Marketing You Need 

If you’re a social media influencer and you’re trying to drum up new business, then maybe posting on social media is the only kind of marketing you need to do. But for any other type of business, sorry, social media alone just isn’t going to cut it. 

Building a social media presence is fine. It’s great, in fact, depending on your business vertical. But using social media as your only marketing tool is leaving a huge void in your potential to attract leads and grow your business. 

Social media can be a hardworking cog in your marketing machine, but it’s only one part of the machine.  When you’re planning your marketing approach, look at the big picture and consider the other moving parts - your website, SEO, content marketing, email marketing, and so on - and how they can all work together. 

Misconception #3

SEO Doesn’t Really Work 

Despite countless references to the contrary, there are still people who believe SEO doesn't really work or that SEO is “not a big deal.” This is categorically untrue. There are thousands of studies and analyses that prove the benefits of SEO - and in particular, local SEO - in terms of your search engine ranking. 

Actually, let’s take a step back. If you have a website but don’t care about its ranking or traffic, then yeah, SEO probably isn’t a big deal to you. But the goal of most business websites is to attract visitors. In those cases, SEO matters. 

The ins and outs of SEO are not always easy to understand. There’s a lot of data involved, and best practices tend to evolve over time. This could be the reason some business owners find it hard to get on board. But ultimately, search engine optimization is vital in getting visitors to your site and turning those visitors into customers. 

Conclusion

There’s no one-size-fits-all marketing plan. What works for your business may not work for someone else’s. But no matter your business vertical, no matter how big or small your marketing budget, embracing current marketing practices and letting go of misconceptions and old ideas is the best way to get started.